OTHER RECENT ITEMS

D2511 is one of the original scratch-built shunter fleet on Canada Road built by Pete Johnson. It is a model of the small batch of re-styled Hudswell Clarke machines delivered to the London Midland Region of BR. Often mistaken for the similar looking Class 07 during shows, the smart centre-cab design was a huge improvement on the early Hudswell Clarke diesels which had a chimney and cab lifted straight off the 0-6-0ST ‘Austerity’ tank.

Another Canada Road loco - Class 14 D9502 is based on the Konstruction brass kit, and modelled to an in-service photo of it in the Forest of Dean. It is yet another type recently swept up by Heljan as the final rush to offer all BR mainline diesels as OO gauge r-t-r models reaches an end game. D9502 passed to the NCB North Eastern division after early retirement by BR, and has been unusual for never having a repaint since first leaving Swindon when new. It is now in the care of the Heritage Shunter Trust, who have the hard decision of whether to restore it to pristine condition, or preserve the historic original paint finish.

Morfa Bank Sidings has been dismantled into manageable sections, and reassembled due to a house move. The following pictures were taken by Hywel from areas not normally accessible. This shows an aerial view of the neck of the BR yard, and the private line below (with disused bridge support), and abandoned line in the background. The missing gas mains was already packed!

Yard shunter 3746 waits on the bridge while some internal users lurk in the gloom below.

3746 has captured an unsuspecting ex-BR single bolster and is escaping through the gate before anyone notices.

An unusually empty tramway yard in the cutting with the Yard Foreman's motorbike in the foreground. The shunter can only afford a pushbike.

The yard shunter runs onto the headshunt. The cut off and derelict tracks beyond are home to two old condemned ex-private owner coal wagons, gently returning to nature with an eight-year old tree growing through the floor.

A view showing progress on the Hornsey Road layout, with some of the surface structure starting to take shape.

A scene from 1970, as Peak class 46 number 166 pulls into Wibdenshaw station with a southbound express for Kings Cross. This loco carries the plain green livery with full yellow ends (but without the white bodyside stripes), and was painted blue during overhaul at Derby works in 1971.

Paul James' kitchen-buffet progresses a little further. There is a thread on RMweb which plots the process of the conversion and avoids duplication here. click here for link -

The first of 5 CARFLAT vehicles being built by Greg Brookes for Shenston Road.

Easington Lane recently appeared at the Derby show, and at DEMU Showcase. This view of the goods yard shows Pete Johnson's class 03 and a variety of other 'Canada Road' rolling stock.

A closer view of Canada Road resident Cowans Sheldon 10 ton hand crane and converted Conflat runner wagon. Many of this type of crane were based in yards all over the UK, and rarely ventured out onto the main line.

Developments at Hornsey Road have been slow during recent months, but here's a view showing some of the scenic modules in place and starting to take shape.

Paul James continues with his 'high speed' coaching stock rake, showing a 15XX numbered series kitchen-buffet in the early stages of construction.

The completed bodyshell of 'Falcon' at the Canada Road workshops ready to be re-united with the chassis. Weathering was matched to photographs of the loco from late 1974, during her time on trip freight duties off Ebbw Junction shed.

B315077 was pictured previously OMWB after initial application of rust spots, but still lacking underframe paint and final general grime. In this view the completed finish is shown. The grime is applied as a tinted matt varnish, using a mix of Humbrol matt 29 and 33, and then lightly dabbed off the flat panels with a clean piece of kitchen paper to leave the most colour in the corners and angles where dirt would collect.

Greg Brookes' Falcon is seen here at Shenston Road with its new headcode display, courtesy of Paul James and his computer generated print-outs. This model suffers with some heavy moulding lines if you look too close, as shown in the photograph. Pete Johnson has tackled his model with a few improvements, which can be seen on the OMWB page.

Here are a few views of Paul's class 108 seen at Shenston Road.

Just imagine the rattling windows and that lovely smell of diesel fumes - rock on.

A driver and secondman discuss the wonky positioning of the BR arrow, "that must have been a Friday afternoon job at Longsight"!